Putnam County Health Department

Putnam County Health Department reports 19 active cases of COVID-19; one UK Variant, no cases of Delta variant, 10 breakthrough cases

The Putnam County Health Department August 11th reported 19 active COVID-19 cases out of the 566 total. There were 38 hospitalizations and 13 deaths. There had been 26 positive test results so far for August. That is more than the months of June and July combined for Putnam County. The health department urges residents to […]

Bright Futures Trenton

Audio: Bright Futures Trenton to hold “Back to School” event on Thursday

With the cooperation of several organizations, businesses, and individuals, back-to-school activities are scheduled for Thursday, August 12, 2021, at locations in Trenton plus the Laredo, Spickard, and Grundy R-5 at Humphreys Schools. Bright Futures Trenton hosts activities that include distributions of school supplies, backpacks, mascot gear, haircuts, hygiene items, clothing, and new shoes in a […]

Medicaid Expansion in Missouri

Missouri Supreme Court rules voter-approved Medicaid expansion is constitutional

(Missouri Independent) – Missouri must expand Medicaid to 275,000 eligible people who were expecting coverage under a constitutional amendment that took effect July 1, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous opinion, the court overturned a trial court ruling that the amendment, passed in August 2020 was unconstitutional because it may increase the state’s cost for […]

Drug distributors Johnson and Johnson reach settlement in opioid case with state of Missouri

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today announced that his office has received a term sheet from Johnson and Johnson and multiple distributors (McKesson, Amerisource Bergen, and Cardinal Health), setting the stage for the largest victim-centric settlements the State of Missouri has ever seen and tentatively securing roughly just over half a billion dollars of funding […]

President Biden and Dilawar Syed Social Media photo

Senator Hawley and colleagues call for another hearing on SBA nominee after ties to anti-Israel group revealed

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and seven colleagues sent a letter to Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-Md.) calling for an additional hearing on Dilawar Syed, President Biden’s nominee for SBA deputy administrator. The senators’ concerns come from recent inflammatory statements from Emgage Action, a vocally anti-Israel political action committee of which Syed is a member […]

Missouri Attorney General Seal and Gavel

Missouri Attorney General recoups $156,000 in restitution, settles case against Jim Bakker and Morningside Church

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today announced that his office has recovered $156,000 and obtained a consent judgment against Jim Bakker and Morningside Church Productions. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed suit against Bakker and Morningside Church Productions back in March of 2020 for marketing “silver solution” as a potential cure for the Coronavirus. The […]

CAFO or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation

Some of Missouri’s largest CAFOs are seeking less stringent state regulation

Eleven of Missouri’s largest concentrated animal feeding operations are working to reduce the state’s oversight of their hog facilities despite a record of manure spills and clean water violations.  Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, has 11 CAFOs seeking new state permits.  The facilities, dotted across northern Missouri, combined are capable of raising more […]

Natural Gas Meter (Photo by Tim Carpenter-Kansas Reflector via Missouri Independent)

After winter cold snap drove up natural gas prices, utilities grapple with who should pay

(Missouri Independent) – Penalties that Spire Missouri issued to suppliers who failed to provide natural gas during a February cold snap that forced power outages across the Midwest could drive bills for hospitals, schools, and businesses to astronomical levels, according to a trio of complaints pending before state regulators. During the worst of the cold snap in February, […]

Medicaid Expansion in Missouri

Attorney General says Missouri lawmakers can refuse to fund Medicaid expansion

(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers were not obligated to fund Medicaid expansion, and the courts cannot force the state to pay the medical bills of people who would be eligible under an initiative that amended the state constitution, the state attorney general’s office argued in documents filed Monday in Cole County Circuit Court. The filing from Attorney […]